1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a curtainwall system having mullions arranged to form a grid and panels mounted over the openings of the grid and secured in position from within the building.
2. Discussion of the Technical Problems
U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,551 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 311,822 filed Oct. 16, 1981 in the name of Stephen L. Crandell and entitled REPLACEMENT PANEL AND METHOD OF INSTALLING SAME IN CURTAINWALL teach a curtainwall for covering walls of a building to provide the building with a new exterior. In general the panels of the curtainwall use internal panel clips and silicone adhesive between the panels. No other exterior arrangement other than the silicone adhesive is used to secure the panels in position. With this arrangement the curtainwall has a substantially flat exterior surface. Although the curtainwall taught in the above-mentioned patent and patent application is ideal for cladding existing building walls, it is not designed to be a complete wall for a building. For example, the curtainwall taught in the above-mentioned patent and patent application rely on silicone adhesive to act as a seal to prevent the ingress of moisture and dust. Although a silicone seal is acceptable for a curtainwall system that is mounted over an existing wall of the building, it is not acceptable for use as a complete wall system for a building.
As can be now appreciated it would be advantageous to provide a curtainwall having panels providing a flat or planar exterior surface that is the complete wall system for a building.